Bill Putney wrote:

> Nza wrote:
>
>> The thing only has 92,000 original miles on it.
>
>
> Wouldn't that be considered a lot of mile between rebuilds for that
> vintage (materials and motor oils of the day)?

My '49 Plymouth went about 120,000 miles before its first overhaul
(which my granddad had done in 1964 for about $300- and the engine still
runs today after that overhaul). It was still running at the time he
decided to overhaul it- Mopar flaheads were a lot tougher than a number
of contemporaries. The Chevy Stovebolt six was a crappy lawnmower engine
by comparison (splash oiling whereas the Mopar had full pressure), and
the Ford flathead v8s had a lot more problems with overheating and
consequent damage. Its pretty darn hard to wear out a Mopar flathead
from the 40s to the point where it just wont run anymore.

So yes, it may be getting close to overhaul time, but its likely got a
good bit of life left based purely on mileage- certainly enough to fire
up and run. Sitting for 27 years probably did it more harm than the 92k
miles, though.